If you play baseball, you must be aware of the importance of physical strength and endurance. To play it well, you need to run, swing, twist, jump and hit in a moment’s time. Therefore, in addition to physical activeness, you need to be mentally alert as well. To be an excellent player, you need to have a high level of self-confidence. And to fill all these requirements, you need to continuously practice baseball and work upon your skills. For increasing physical strength and stamina, you can perform a number of baseball exercises. Some of the baseball exercises involve upper body parts while others involve the lower body part. Following are some examples of each type. Read more on baseball training.
Baseball Workouts for Upper Body
Bench Press:
Lay your body straight on a bench kept under the bar. Lie down in such a way that your legs are bent and feet touch the floor. Such a position provides support while lifting weight. Extend your arms out to their sides, and then bend the elbows. Bring the arms up to grip the bar. If you grip the bar slightly wider, you will increase the amount of pectoral muscles in the exercise. If you grip the bar a bit closer, you will involve your triceps more. Lift the bar off the rack and bring it directly over the center of your chest. Exhale as you move the bar up and away from your body and try to extend the arms to full extension. Hold the posture for a second, and then slowly place the bar back on the rack. This completes one count.
Chin Ups:
Stand under a chin-up bar. Hold the bar with your hands and lift your body up. Hang for 10 seconds or as long as is comfortable to you. Slowly come down to the previous standing position. Keep all the movements controlled. Relax for a couple of seconds. Perform the chin-up once again. Do not strain your body much. Do it for a count of 5 in the beginning. Increase the number of repetitions as you feel comfortable and confident.
Barbell Curls:
Stand erect on the floor holding a barbell with both the hands. Keep the hands shoulder width apart. Bend the legs slightly. Hold the bar at arms length so that it touches your upper thighs. Try to curl the bar up in one go. Make a semi circular motion until forearms touch the biceps. Throughout this baseball workout plan, keep your elbows close to your sides. Return slowly to the starting position. This completes one count of standing barbell curl. Barbell curl is considered to be a great baseball workouts for hitters.
Baseball Workouts for Lower Body
Squats:
Stand erect with the feet kept at hip distance. Toes, knees and hip should have the same alignment. Pull the abdomen in and contract its muscles. Slowly bend your body to imitate the posture of sitting on a chair. Your aim should be to form a right angle at the knees. Bring both the hands in front and join the palms. Stay in this position for a couple of seconds. Slowly come back to the starting position with controlled movements. This completes one count of squats. Read more on squats without weights.
Deadlift:
Attach weights to the barbell according to your strength and level of fitness. Place your legs under the bar either pointing forward or slightly outward. Your feet should be at shoulder-width distance away from each other. Bend down and hold the bar. Lower your hips such that your thighs become parallel to the floor. Straighten your back and look to the front. Now, lift the bar off the floor by standing up. Raise your hips and shoulders simultaneously. Maintain the flat back. Stay in this posture for a couple of seconds, and then slowly place the bar back on the floor. This completes one count of dreadlift.
Leg Press:
Position your body on the leg press machine. Make sure that you are comfortable. Place your feet up and palms on the grips at the side. Press your back against the support and keep the head straight. Maintain the given posture, lower the weight until there forms a right angle. Now, raise the weight with your heels. Return to the starting position on the machine. Do leg presses only if you feel easy and comfortable. Do not push yourself to do it or else you may end up with muscle cramps.
